Aaron Callaghan says he feels energised by the challenge he has taken on at Carrick Rangers as he looks to inject fresh impetus and ambition into their season.

A first victory of his burgeoning reign was registered at Ballinamallard on Friday night, and aside from the three points gained, massive as they are against a rival for survival, Callaghan was relieved to see his previously downcast and sulking players finally smiling again.

Of course it’s going to take more of the same, much more in fact, if the Gers are to scatter the storm clouds which have been gathering over Taylor’s Avenue for some time now.

But Callaghan is undaunted by the salvage operation he faces at the helm of one of the Irish League’s underdogs, insisting he relishes the demands, and the test of character, which comes with the territory.

The former Crusaders title winner rode to the rescue of the beleaguered relegation battlers last month after a string of defeats culminated in the resignation of Kieran Harding.

The victory at Ferney Park was just a second in the league all season and, were it not for the problems piling up at Portadown, their return of just eight points from 14 games would anchor them to the foot of the Danske Bank Premiership.

Aaron Callaghan in action, Crusaders v Ards, September 1997

With Gary Haveron departing over the summer, and a host of their top players snapped up by rivals – the likes of Aaron Harmon, Conor McCloskey and Andrew Doyle – this season was always going to be a huge examination of a club which only escaped the drop when two quickfire goals snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in the dying seconds of the final game of last season.

In the wake of disappointing results on the pitch and boardroom unrest off it, Harding decided he had seen enough after just three months in charge, yet none of this was enough to deter Callaghan who retains a high regard for the Irish League following his exploits down the M5 at Seaview during his playing days.

“I’d been keeping my eye on the Irish League, I’d been up to a few matches at Crusaders over the years and I just needed a change from the league down here, it had just got a little bit stale for me here,” explained Callaghan, who had been assisting Roddy Collins at Waterford before he got the call at Carrick, having previously enjoyed spells in charge of Bohemians, Longford Town and Crusaders, where he was to cut his managerial teeth in 1998.

“So that’s the way it materialised and I was grateful to Carrick for giving me the opportunity.

“I’m enjoying it here and it was a big win for us on Friday, more so for the players and the supporters because they have been waiting a lot longer than I have, and it’s always good to get the monkey off the back and get the first win.

“There have been a lot of dull and sad faces around the ground and when you are losing games on a continual basis and you’re going home to your partner and your families, it can be tough so it was good to change that.”

Callaghan knows it’s merely a beginning, however, with the Dubliner planning a recruitment drive as soon as the window opens in January, with a particular emphasis on attack.

“You’ve always got to add three or four of your own players and I’ll be looking to do that in the window,” said Callaghan.

“But what we have to do first of all is get the current squad to change their attitude. My job is to stop the rot first of all and work with the squad I have but I have a huge list of players I have worked with, managed and coached along the way, so I’ll be seeing what I can do and I’ll also be looking to get a few players in from up north as well.

“I still have some very good friends up there, players come from anywhere and if we have to bring one or two in from abroad, so be it.

“I think when you are building any team, you have got to be strong through the middle, in centre half, midfield and the strikers.

“You can never have enough strikers, I think any manager will tell you that and we will definitely be looking to give Adam Salley a bit of a dig out there because to be fair, he’s been working his socks off and we only seem to have one recognised striker on the books so we’ll definitely be looking to bring in a couple of strikers if we can.

“Defensively, I think we are quite solid, we have some good talent there and we have one or two lads to come in there as well.

“We brought one or two of the young lads up from the reserves there through the week and I’ll be looking at our reserve team to see who can step up.”

Understandably, considering his affiliation with Crusaders and their current standing in the game, Callaghan believes his new club “could do worse” than use the reigning Premiership champions as a template on how to build sustainable success on a budget.

Carrick Rangers manager Aaron Callaghan after his first win in charge (Image: Presseye)

“Crusaders are a super little club,” he said, “I think they have done a fantastic job with the stadium, they’ve got the whole community atmosphere around the place and the supporters there are fantastic, I got a great reception when I went back so I’ll always have a special place in my heart for those guys.

“As a model, if you are looking at a club to follow, Carrick could do worse. They are in a similar situation, I think we all know the ground needs a huge amount of work but I think the model Crusaders have now would be perfect for Carrick going forward.”

Indeed, the Crues’ ability to punch above their weight is something which Callaghan would like to replicate.

Although they wield plenty of might in the transfer market these days, thanks in no small part to their continued qualification for the Champions League, it wasn’t always the case, particularly back in Callaghan’s days when the club delivered two titles in the space of three years despite Linfield and Glentoran’s superior financial firepower.

Indeed Callaghan, who played professionally across the water with the likes of Stoke, Preston and Oldham before hooking up with Roy Walker’s side in 1995, estimates the Blues spent the guts of £300,000 trying to dethrone the Hatchetmen, underlining the magnitude of their achievements.

“If I’m not wrong, I think Linfield spent the best part of £300,000 trying to beat us, they were bringing in a lot of players, I remember Paul Magee coming in for £45,000, he came back from across the water, and that season we played them I think eight times including the cups and they never beat us once,” said the Carrick chief as he reminisced on his playing career in the Irish League.

“And I have to say, from the moment I walked in the door I had an absolutely fantastic time between the club and the supporters.

“There was a uniqueness and a togetherness about that squad and to win the league in my first season was just magic. And not just to win it, but the way we won it.

“We played some good stuff, we had some really, really good players with Stevie Baxter playing, (Glenn) Dunlop, Syd Burrows, Glen Hunter, little Liam Dunne in the middle of the park, we had a great balance between youth and experience, and we became hard to beat that year, I think we had 15 or 16 1-0 wins.

“And we got the monkey off the club’s back, I think they hadn’t won the league since ‘77 so it was just a very, very enjoyable place to be.”